J/Spectacular

Ingrid Abery reports in this year's J/Cup hosted by the Royal Southern Yacht Club

The J Boats fleet has been enjoying some good results this season and swelling the Solent race circuit. It culminated in the annual J-Cup hosted this year by the Royal Southern Yacht Club in conjunction with J/UK over the weekend. J Boat owners came from as far afield as Guernsey, Dublin and Cornwall for the third edition of the three day
regatta. Six races with varying conditions tested the mixed fleet spread across three classes. Regulars such as Jump, Zelda and Waverider were set to jostle for the silverware.

Day one and the first of the six windward/leeward courses was run in a 15 knot breeze. The popular J/109 class had eleven boats in class one. Early casualties care of the Brambles bank included High Tension, Waverider and Johnny Blue leaving the remainder of the fleet with a head start. The downwind leg was not without incident when another two boats also stopped to 'play cricket' on the bank. The fleet settled into four laps of the course, in a by now animated 20 knot breeze. Zelda, sailed by class captain Ben Richards along with co-owner Mike Ewart-Smith romped home to the first class win ahead of Jazolo, Robert Shaw and Mike Bennett’s Waverider in third. The top five boats finished one minute behind one another. Italian Luca Rubinelli drove
his brand new out-of-the box J/109, Aria to a respectable fifth.

Daily podium place names changed but the same four boats jostled for the top slots in most races. Zelda enjoyed its moment of glory in race one. Jazolo clinched two seconds and a third. After a retirement in race one, Johnny Blue came back with a vengeance to compliment a pair of second’s with a bullet in the final race which saw 30 knots gusting down the Solent. Used to flying by the seat of its pants, Johnny Blue owned by Hamble based Chaz Ivill, not only made its maiden sail to the start line at Skandia Cowes Week last month hoisting the sails for the first time just 20 minutes prior to the start, but also won it's class with a race to spare.

Meanwhile, rival Waverider had stepped up a gear after an opening third place and proceeded to bang in four bullets. On day two the boat had two good starts, was first to the windward mark showing good boat speed and was never headed. Sailing with a new crew, some of whom hail from the J/120 J Spirit, Waverider maintained its winning form throughout.

With six firsts at Cowes Week 2002 and six again in the Hamble Winter Series in her portfolio, this J/109 certainly lives up to her name. "75% of winning is preparation" claimed Mike Bennett. "I had a tight crew and a great helmsman, we didn't make mistakes" he confirmed.

In class 2, the J/133s led around the course dominating the five boat group. The J/120s were rarely able to rival them on handicap, leaving Freckles and Jinja to match race. On day one Stewart Hawthorn helming Jump, held off Cork Week's class winner WOW, owned by George Sisk as she snapped at her heels to finish a mere 32 seconds ahead on corrected. Mike Riley's Freckles, the leading J/120 was eight minutes adrift in third. Jump dropped a race to the Irish contingent in race two and the final race to Freckles which swept to victory in the blow. Going into day three Jump had three firsts in the bag. Hawthorn had to ensure WOW was held back in second. The team had a good start in the opening race and with WOW to windward they shut them out showing a
clean pair of heels to the fleet. "It was a cracking race" beamed Hawthorn, "the best of the weekend. We didn't do anything wrong." In the final race they blew the head on the jib and sailed a beat under main only.

A J/Boat owner since 1992, what was Hawthorn's weapon? "Good regular crew who have moved up through the ranks with me. " Last year the team lost the J-Cup class crown by a point in a J/120 and this year won it by a point in the 133. They also took home the J-Cup for best overall performance.

WOW, the first J/133 in Europe, with its essentially corinthian crew, chased Jump hard around the course. Sisk, like many J-boat owners has moved up through the classes having entered with J/105 followed by a J/109 last year. "The speed for size is unbeatable" he commented. "She is good on most points of sail, is not stripped out for racing so we can then go and enjoy cruising afterwards. Its been just seconds between us and Jump this weekend and I'm very pleased to be racing against the likes of Kevin Sproul, who was the tactician on board Jump."

Another is Kate Buckingham was a prime example having purchased her J/109 in March. She was fired up early on by a second in class in June's Round The Island race. With her partner Nick Fry, MD of B.A.R. Formula 1 motor racing at the helm for the first two days her boat J-XTC gave Colin Wall's J-Dream a run for its money in class 3. "It was a wicked event," commented Kate, "coming from Miami I had expected to put the kite up, sit back and enjoy the sunshine but these Solent conditions certainly
tested us. I had a great team with J-UK Director Marie-Claude Heys and the J Boats builder Didier Le Moal from France onboard. By the last leg of the final race I was desperate to put the kite up and storm to the finish. After this weekend's experience I feel that I could almost conquer the Southern Ocean. Nick, with his motor sport background, now has a huge respect for sailing."

In the mixed class 3 fleet J-Dream, the J/105 clocked up three bullets, a second and a third discarding her worst result, a respectable fifth to win class 3 on eight points, five clear of 2nd placed J-XTC. Colin Wall enthused "We had a good windward leg in the last race and then blew two kites in quick succession. We sailed the boat as hot and hard as we could. I had a great team of sailors onboard. I constantly encouraged my crew to talk to each other and they worked well together." With the forecast for very light winds on Saturday J-Dream went for the heavy number one head sail. Despite carrying a sixteen point time penalty Wall and his team sailed to overall victory in the
ten boat class. J-XTC racked up a 1,1,2 score line at Buckingham's first regatta outing.

The J/109 class enjoyed good one-design racing. With 45 boats sold in the UK and Ireland, a class start at Cowes within two years is looking realistic. The Royal Southern Yacht Club yet again proved its value as event host. Renowned for its well organised courses, slick results service and equally its club facilities, the Hamble club reiterated its place as host club. Next year the J Cup will take place in the Channel Islands. Thanks go to B&G a major sponsor as well as The Clothing Room, North Sails UK, Grapefruit Graphics, Quantum Sails, Tacktick, HME, Sobstad Sailmakers and Yachts & Yachting.

Overall results:

Class 1
1st Waverider Mike Bennett 7 points
2nd Zelda Ben Richards and Mike Ewart Smith 14
3rd Jazolo Robert Shaw 16

Class 2
1st Jump Stewart Hawthorn 6 points
2nd WOW George Sisk 11
3rd Jinja Ian Matthews 13

Class 3
1st J Dream Colin Wall 8 points
2nd J XTC Kate Buckingham 13
3rd Voador Simon & Jane Curwen 15